Finding the balance...spendy or frugal

Well, those of you who have been following along with my journey over the past year have seen me decluttering, cutting back on non-essential buying (well, I have always lived a reasonably frugal life anyway and made well thought out purchases even if not essential and that's the way I still live - we're not Compactors here), minimising my cleaning/personal products, discovering ways of eating simply in terms of locally, seasonally and whole foods yet finding tasty ways that still delight us rather than feel like we're missing out, making our entire life work for our family and not concerning ourselves with what others are doing, and connecting with like-minded families...

But boy, what a shake up I had while away on holiday...we stayed with friends and family who live in far from humble homes, stock their fridges with so much food of many varieties and flavours (and not just for our benefit), had lovely homes which looked straight from a Home and Garden magazine and I felt like I was missing out - like I too needed to have more and that we had dropped completely out of touch with reality - I felt envious and poor (rather than remembering we were voluntarily choosing to be frugal and living a simple life) and I felt really out of sorts! I too like a tidy, neat, well-matched home, and having a well stocked pantry, but I felt like I needed more, more, more!

I really felt out of place and like I was caught between proudly stating who we are and what we believe and putting on a false face to feel like I still fit in with the "way I was". Yuck. I don't want or need all that food and besides, the kids are completely happy with what we usually have at home (they do actually get plenty of *other* foods when they request them or we come up with a mutually agreeable alternative), I don't need all those fragranced shampoos, conditioners, face cleansers, body washes, hand creams when I'm perfectly happy with my baking soda, apple cider vinegar and my daily source of "smelly" stuff is in the form of Ecostore Sandalwood soap (I do think some attractive bottles or labels to put them in may alleviate some deep down longing though...).

So, I was really relieved to walk into a friends house (one I hadn't met before but have known online for many years) and felt instantly refreshed and like I was at home. There was kid-mess, there were eaten fruit skins left out on the table, toys and random experiments lying around, I had to step over a pile of smashed up wood outside the front door (homeschoolers making insect discoveries). So I was brought down to earth at a time I really needed it.

The whole experience made me realise how far we've come, but also how much we fit into our life at home, how the community and networks we've created are *so* right for us and how we love it. But it's also just knowing that the people we visited are doing what is right for them but that I have nothing to be envious of. And thank goodness for my online networks which widen my community and help me realise I'm not alone.